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There is nothing better (vacation wise) than showing up at a hotel, the first day of vacation, and LOVING the place you are staying. I know I have picked the right one when I immediately picture myself having coffee on the porch, checking emails at the breakfast bar, having dinner on the patio, walking around the grounds, etc. Here’s how to pick a great hotel in Placencia, or elsewhere!

I have always been overwhelmed when I try to pick somewhere to stay in another country. I think most of us may stay where someone we know has recommended, and that is why Trip Advisor and such sites are great. But, they don’t tell the whole story, and unfortunately, a lot of the “feedback” and reviews on a lot of sites are total bunk. Also, if you search for a hotel in a certain area, you might be looking at hotels in a 30 mile radius, which can have a huge impact on your experience.

Here is what I have found to be the most helpful way to narrow it down, without becoming information overloaded which will happen in about 15 minutes of googling a place to stay in a certain city.

1.) #1 consideration has to be budget of course. If you go to Trip Advisor, they are not a booking engine-and a LOT of very cool places will not show you prices. Only large places who can afford a booking engine will show their prices and a link to book, and this leaves out a lot of the really great and special places that really make a memorable vacation. (like booking at a Marriot vs. a super enchanting b & b.) Of course, check trip advisor and see what shows up in the city’s lists. But don’t forget to click on the b & b and the “specialty” units as that is where you find some gems, as opposed to just checking the hotel tab. I also recommend doing a quick search on VRBO or Air B & B. If you do just these three sites, you will have a feel for neighborhoods and prices, and some names will look familiar.

2.) VERY IMPORTANT. Decide how close to the action you want to be. I always pick a landmark right in town that I want to be able to walk to (a coffee shop, the heart of town, a certain restaurant, beach bar, etc.) DON’T just look for beachfront because for example in Placencia, “Placencia” is considered to be the WHOLE peninsula. The peninsula is 16 miles long plus a bunch of land on the way in, so your stay will be markedly different if all you looked at were budget and wanting to be on the beach. There are lovely resorts all the way up the peninsula, and many people want the isolated resort experience, and don’t mind being far from the action. For me, I want to be able to walk everywhere if that is an option, and here, there are SO MANY awesome places to stay right in the village, where you can literally walk to EVERYTHING. If you are looking at your budget, remember that if you end up having to rent a car, bike, or golf cart, or get a cab every time you want to leave, staying far away for budget sake will annoy you.

3.) Look at the amenities. Do you need a pool? Do you need a pool if you are right on the beach? Do you need to be able to walk to bars to avoid a DUI? Will you be happy with just one walkable bar on site? Will you make use of things like cable, A/C, bikes, kayaks, wifi, free pickup, kitchenette, private veranda? Do the reviews show that the owner takes care of the unit/beach/property? Do you just want to dump your stuff or do you want an experience at the resort?

4.) Do look at the reviews but take them with a grain of salt. I would be more inclined to read the owner’s response to bad reviews than the review itself. Some people are born complainers so their feedback isn’t valid, and other great reviews may be the owner’s friend. But DO look at the pictures people post on Trip Advisor, or google the place and click images to see some more “real life” shots. Some places look like total paradise and really this is just a good photographer. At this point, you are probably going back to a couple places because they just seem right to you. Probably ANY of those few that you have vetted out will make you happy.

How to pick the best place in Placencia — based on the complaints travelers have had (most people have a blast here of course, :), but no matter where you look, it is not going to be the right fit for everyone.***

-If the owners do not clean the beach–we have a lot of sea grass here and this requires commitment to cleaning daily. Be sure that the place you stay mentions this or the reviews note this. It truly makes a difference.

-Travelers thinking they were booking in the village, but the resort was actually up to 16 miles away.

-It is quiet and peaceful here-but there is not the first world activities like a movie theater, mall, mini golf, water park, golf, etc. There are plenty of restaurants, activities, and excursions, but staying at a place that makes you happy to just chill at is very important. Some places offer free use of snorkel gear, kayaks, bikes, etc and this makes a big difference in your experience.

-Assuming your hotel in Placencia has things like A/C, cable, wifi, beach towels, beach chairs, etc. Make sure you check this if you need these 🙂

-The weather–no one can control this, you hope for hot and dry weather, so make sure you go with the odds and pick a time of year where you are likely to avoid what you hate (cold fronts/rain, etc).

-Figuring out the best mix between cheap and charming-so you can have money for excursions, but not picking solely on price, as you do get what you pay for 🙂

***Of course, if you are coming to Belize, we highly recommend you check out our own hotel in Placencia :). Walking distance to everything, but in a quiet, private spot. kayaks, bikes, grills, cooler, snorkel gear, beach towels, games, kitchenette, floats, flashlights, good wifi, cable, A/C, clean beach, GREAT hosts, coconut drink at check in……much more 🙂

High season is here!

We are done with Sol! Our first “real” guest after the renovation comes tomorrow!Here are the first pictures of the new resort. We are really proud of it, and have spent the last two months working harder than we ever have (after a total of 8 months of planning and working!). These pictures were taken this morning, and of course it rained so they are a rough draft, but I couldn’t wait any longer 🙂 The sidewalk will be stained terra cotta but that is one of the only big changes that will take place over the next few months.

These are in order from when you arrive at the Placencia Sidewalk. You can click for a larger view.

Standing on the sidewalk, looking at the property, the Sea beyond it.

 Our new miles sign at the sidewalk 🙂 Suggestions for cities to add are welcome!

 Close up of Casita

Let’s get right to it. No place is perfect, and vacationing vs. living somewhere would require different checklists. Also, what is paradise to one person, is not paradise to another. But what is going on in Placencia, that made it feel so magical to us, and to many people that come down here? We meet people every week who, after visiting, are now on a house hunt and ready to move to Placencia. The whole village is on a verge of an even bigger explosion of growth, with several huge projects in the works.**most pictures borrowed from google, but all represent realistic portrayals 🙂

1.) The peninsula is very special and unique. We drove onto the peninsula the first time we came. The drive is so gorgeous and special….you go from watching the Maya Mountains, which look like Hawaii, to driving through what feels like a North Carolina shoreline…..to arriving at Hilton Head-like homes (Plantation area and North)….to driving through Maya Beach, which looks and feels like 1940’s Florida (at least what I imagine it did 🙂 ), to seeing authentic Belize culture in Seine Bight (this town is rough around the edges, but friendly, right on the water, and tons of local character), to arriving in the village, where not a structure is over a few stories high….everyone is friendly…..Caribbean-colored wooden homes and businesses….one cute restaurant and shop after another…and throughout this whole drive, you can see the lagoon and Maya Mountains on your right, and the gorgeous Caribbean the whole time on your left, and palm trees everywhere. I have never been in a place that had so many charming natural aesthetics.

2.) You can drink the water here. Right out of the tap, we have been doing it for 7 months and I think it is delicious. I can’t tell the difference between bottled water and tap water here. You cannot drink the water everywhere in Belize, and certainly not everywhere in Central America. But here, it is fed by an underwater spring. Just from my visit to Roatan this past week, I  was reminded what a plus this is.

3.) Belize is English speaking, and they accept USD everywhere. This makes vacationing and living here MUCH easier.

4.) Placencia is a perfect mix of the inland experience, but an island feel. I really liked San Pedro, but I was worried about “island fever”. Here, you can get in your car and drive inland, get to stores and fill up your car if needed, and it is cheaper than an actual island, because things don’t have to be all shipped by boat.

5.) Placencia has just the right amount of restaurants, bars, coffee shops, beach bars, and shops to be a quaint, small town village, without being so small that you can’t get what you need, or becoming bored. We have been here 7 months and I still haven’t tried everything. You will recognize some familiar (and friendly!) faces (of  locals, expats, other tourists, and even beach dogs :)) within a day of being here, and there is only one road into town, plus the walking main street sidewalk.  Which bring me to….

7.) Laughingbird Caye, Silk Caye, Cockscomb, Tutti Frutti, Belize Ocean Club, Rumfish, Secret Garden, all the islands surrounding the peninsula that you can kayak to, Barefoot and Tipsy Tuna, Brewed Awakenings…these are just a few of the standout activities/establishments here. If you feel a need for some resort style living for a day, you can take a drive up to Belize Ocean Club, at the top of the peninsula, where it is as luxurious as an all inclusive resort, and they let you use their pool. Rumfish and Secret Garden are just two of the really unique and spectacular restaurants here. Tutti Frutti has the best gelato I have ever had. From Placencia, you can snorkel in two unbelievable Cayes. Tipsy and Barefoot are SO MUCH FUN….and where you will find locals, expats, tourists, and dogs all having an awesome time, every night of the week, and they are right next door to each other. Brewed Awakenings has some of the best coffee and smoothies I have ever had.

 

 8.) The Sea changes EVERY SINGLE DAY. I start out every day with a walk to the shore…and every day, the color, waves, and shoreline are different. It is so amazing. Sometimes the water is so still and clear it looks like the most pristine Caribbean beach you could imagine, like turquoise glass. Other mornings, like today, the water was full of big waves and it looked more like the Atlantic Ocean. I LOVE waves in the sea, but also appreciate the beauty of a calm and clear sea, and this was the only place with all the island feel that had this. (In the cayes, the water is gorgeous, but it never gets any waves because it is too close to the reef.) Not to mention, just the other morning we watched a school of dolphins swim right by the shore!

 

9.) You can walk EVERYWHERE. From the village, you can walk to farmer’s stands, beach bars, restaurants, groceries, everything. Also, unlike many other places I have visited, you can safely ride your bike–this was not an option in Roatan, for example, because it was too hilly and the street too narrow. In San Pedro, there are not a lot of sidewalks, and I found walking and biking to be a bit stressful with all the cars and golf cars whizzing by.

10.) The FEEL of it here. This is one that you simply have to experience. Will every person that comes here have that “feeling” that they never want to leave? Of course not, but a much higher percentage than is really reasonable :). You have this feeling here that you are somewhere very special, and also you have a feeling that you are in a place that is about to explode, as the tourist numbers and construction keep increasing every month…there is a reason for that! I felt like I stumbled on a secret when I got here, and the friends we have made here all have that same feeling. Tourists come back year after year here, despite all the other options in the world!

I am getting this question often from travelers-nearly everyone flies into Belize International Airport, and from there, you can rent a car. If you are going to the Cayes, you can take the water taxi or a puddle jumper flight (Tropic or Maya Air), if you are going to San Ignacio or Placencia (or anywhere else inland), you can rent a car or take a puddle jumper. Many people who come to Belize don’t just go to one location though-one of the greatest things about choosing Belize is that you can do an island adventure trip, jungle adventures, Mayan ruins, and beach relaxing all on one trip. Belize is small, and relatively easy to get everywhere. The first time we came, we rented a car at the airport and drove around the whole country; it was a fantastic experience.

I am a worrywart about safety, and for most humans, if we haven’t done something before, and it isn’t familiar, it can feel unsafe or scary. After 7 months, we have driven in Belize so many times that it is completely normal to me now. This post should explain what it is really like, from the worrywart perspective 🙂

Driving in Belize — Some pointers, advice, and thoughts.

1.) The car you rent here might be a piece of crap. Belize roads are hard on cars, it is hard to get cars in here with the import taxes, and cars stick around a long time. The first car we rented was a jeep whose shocks were actually quite shocking; it felt like we were driving a waterbed with all the bouncing.

2.) It wouldn’t hurt to have a set of jumper cables and to know how to change a tire. If you do not have/know these things, you will most likely be driving in walking distance to help, and a car with a good Samaritan probably is not far off here. When we have rented cars, there has also been a service available where you can call and get help from the rental place, so ask about this service when you rent.

3.) OK now you have your car and you are all set…one of the unique things you may encounter will be a police checkpoint. There are no standard traffic cops, although you will at times see a cop car. One of the ways that flow is controlled is through these random checkpoints. If you see a traffic stop building with no one in it, just go on through. There will be cones and cops clearly there if you need to stop. All they are looking for is to make sure your vehicle is insured and that you are here legally. You just need to show your passport. The insurance proof is actually on the windshield in Belize. It wouldn’t hurt to know where the car’s registration is, but just show your car rental paperwork if asked. This should be a quick and easy situation (keep your passport handy, don’t pack it in your luggage in the truck, which would be a huge pain for everyone). One thing to note, sometimes kids/people will put cones out that look like a traffic stop, when really they are asking for donations for their school or team. Other times you may think it is a traffic stop but it is kids selling fruit or something. Feel free to donate, or just kindly roll by and wave.

4.) One of the other controls on the roads are speed bumps. These are annoying, and you do have to be aware as you are driving and look out for these. Almost 100% of them are marked, but sometimes the signs are hard to see, or they will come up rather quickly. Since there are no traffic cops, this is a way to manage speed. Also you may see those same kids selling fruit at the speed bumps because you have to slow down…you can just roll by :).

5.) Hitchhikers-it is normal to hitchhike and to pick up hitchhikers here. This is not recommended of course, and certainly not for your first time here. You are not obligated to pick anyone up of course, but you will see a lot of people with their thumb out, there is kind of an understanding between drivers and hitchhikers here. Just roll on by and they won’t care.

6.) Buses-one thing that makes me uncomfortable while driving here is the buses–you will see Caribbean-colored old school buses that are a private bus line here, racing along the highways quite frequently. At times I feel like the bus is a freight train coming right at me. The drivers know the roads well so they speed along like crazy, and it always makes me slow down and be extra cautious when I see them coming at me. Just be aware of them them and make sure to be as far as you can safely be from the mid line in the road 🙂

7.) “Highway”-ha! Although the roads are called highways, there are no “highways.” The roads are actually pretty nice, but they are a 2 lane country road throughout. With this comes twists and turns at points, and passing is quite normal here, and often done at the speed bumps. It is recommended that you pass with great caution when you are in the twisty parts of the road!!

8.) Gas stations and bathroom breaks-there aren’t that many cars here so there aren’t that many gas stations. It is recommended that when you do see a gas station, stop and get gas if you are under a half tank, and also use their bathroom. It won’t be the Ritz, and they may even charge you a dollar, but use these bathrooms if you can. Unless you prefer to pull off into the bush and pee while looking for snakes and fireants 🙂

9.) Dogs — While driving in Belize and cruising in one of the towns, there will be speed bumps to protect the people, and you will also see a lot of dogs here. We have narrowly missed hitting dogs on a  number of occasions when going through towns, because they tend to just run out into the street at times-just keep your eyeballs on them when you see them on the sides of the road.

10.) I think driving in Belize is fun and totally worth it. You will drive through what looks like Hawaii, North Carolina, Hilton Head, countryside, farms, etc. You are statistically VERY unlikely to have any interactions with a criminal element while on the roads. The biggest safety issue here is car accidents, which are pretty common because people drive too fast. Being a defensive driver, and taking your time, is the best safety advice.

You will see a lot of poverty for sure, amongst all of the gorgeous landscape. But Belizeans are very used to tourists and are very friendly. You can feel safe to stop anywhere along the highway, at roadside stands and such, and this is part of the fun of the drive. One last thing to note-the gas here is really expensive, and so is renting a car. Gas is like $5-6 a gallon, and car rental is around $50-100 a day. This is again the result of there not being that many cars here. A lot of times you will be the only car on the road, and that makes for a really peaceful drive 🙂

Dave, Chris, Sonia, and I went to Roatan, Honduras over the weekend–the goal being to add another country to our of our lists as none of us have been there, and to compare it to Placencia, as it has a lot of the same features.

Honduras gets a bit of a bad rap online as being very dangerous; the highest murder rate in the world. We did not go to the mainland for this reason; we heard enough reviews from other travelers that unless you go with someone who knows what they are doing, you might want to stick to Roatan. I can’t speak for the mainland (although I have heard it is quite inexpensive but a lot of poverty) and we will go at some point-but we only had a quick weekend so there wasn’t time for all of it.

It is a bit hard to travel around Central America in that your options are, rent a car and drive where there can be stops/roadblocks that you can’t always know to be legit (and you shouldn’t really drive at night anywhere due to road conditions and safety, take a rickety bus that is not for the faint of heart, or fly on the puddle jumpers, which is pricey. There are ferry options but when you get to the mainland you still have to find a way to the main cities which can take a full day in some cases. You need to have an abundance of time, energy, patience, and a sense of adventure for most options–we chose to fly this time for time’s sake 🙂

We flew on Tropic Air Friday afternoon to Roatan, and it was gorgeous as you fly in–it is hilly, green, and has beautiful turquoise water. The airport looked first world, few crowds due to low season right now. We got right in a cab and went to West End–there are many neighborhoods and over 100,000 people on the island alone (that is almost 1/3 the population of Belize!) on an approximately 25 mile island (about 1-2 miles wide). West End is the most touristy section–safe, you can walk to everything, a lot of fun to be had. Our main concern was being able to walk to the beach and to the fun downtown area, and I would recommend this neighborhood for that. West Bay is close by and also has a walkable area, but not as big. It has resorts higher up in the hills so the views are great, but a lot more hill walking.

**Please note, some of the pictures I used I had to snatch from google because some of my pictures didn’t turn out, but they were images that represented reality 🙂 )

We stayed at Sunset Villas, it was very nice and reasonably priced–two king sized bedrooms, two bathrooms, in a nice condo unit with a view of the pool and sea.

We all felt that the downtown area was really fun, very festive, beach-town, everything right on the shore. It has a slightly more developed feel than Placencia, more chains, everything was in English (Honduras is Spanish speaking on the mainland but Roatan was run by the English at one point, and the Kriol English stuck). I think we were expecting it to be more rustic and more exotic or Spanish feeling than Placencia, when it was far more tourist-centered. In Placencia, everyone hangs out together, there are not really tourist parts and local parts (it is a lot smaller-but gives you a more authentic feel as well). We felt safe the entire time and there were all ages hanging out together, and we explored the entire island. I cannot imagine feeling unsafe at any part of the island, we even drove right through many small towns and villages where we were told were maybe a bit rougher. One other comparison is that Roatan is thick with greenery and Northern-looking trees–in Placencia you see water, beach, and palm trees everywhere you look. Roatan had more oak and pine trees (at least that is what they looked like to me!), less water views than Placencia, less palm trees. Here are a few pictures of Sunset Villas and mains street in West End:

We swam in Half Moon Bay Beach–very clean water, no waves, in a bay (hence the name), great views of the hills around. It looks and feels very exotic, Central American/Caribbean. Placencia’s beach by comparison is much bigger/wider, we do have more sea grass problems, but we also have relatively big waves for the Caribbean, which I prefer, but everyone has their preference:

Sometimes pictures are just better than words. The weather was great this past week, the sargassum FINALLY is going away, there were some spectacular sunrises, so here is some great beach eye candy–especially for those in parts of the world where cold nights and sweaters are becoming normal again :(!

Our visitors have all said, the pictures don’t do it justice. I will try my best to capture how truly pretty is is down here, but come see for yourself!!!

Now that we are booking guests, I am seeing the concerns and questions people have about coming down to the Caribbean. (Such as Crime in Belize) This is going to read more like a book report and not so much for entertainment, but still was an important blog post I have been wanting to write 🙂

The most common concerns are:

Is there a lot of crime in Belize?

Are the bugs bad?

Are the critters in general bad?

Can I get good wifi?

Are there a lot of power outages?

How bad is rainy season/is there a chance of a hurricane?

I did about a year of research on Belize before moving here, then asked a thousand questions to expats who lived here, and then have lived here pretty much since February. This is not a lifetime of research but a decent sample size 🙂

Crime in Belize — How safe is Belize?

Belize is sometimes shown as ranked #6 in the world for unsafe countries. This number is truly disproportionate. Belize’s murder rate is 44 out of 100,000. BUT as is widely claimed most of these murders (up to 60%) are in Belize City, southern, where the gang violence happens in a small pocket. Crime rates are rather hard to find, but here is some actual evidence for crime:

Let’s look at where I live, Placencia. Placencia is in the Stann Creek District. This is the 2nd largest district. There are about 35,000 residents but that doesn’t include people like me, here on a (long term) tourist visa, OR the number of the 300,000 visitors that come to Belize every year. (not including the 700,000 cruise ship passengers.)

The murder rate is 17/100,000 for my district (6 murders in a population of 35,000). This means, if you ONLY count ACTUAL residents,  for the whole year, for the WHOLE DISTRICT. Again, this isn’t counting the fact that the population swells during high season, or the people like me, who essentially live here.

THIS FACT MEANS——-this rate is about the same as visiting Milwaukee, Wisconsin, or Cincinnati, Ohio. When is the last time someone said, I can’t visit Milwaukee, the crime rate is just too high??? And please check out the rates of rape and robbery. If we compare it to a city I picked randomly, Cincinnati, the rate of rape is 11/100,000 in Stann Creek vs Cincinnati’s rate of 63/100,000. Robbery–Stann Creek-57/100,000….Cincinnati-582/100,000!! And the population of Cincinnati is not thrown off by huge tourism swells or long term expats. The rates would be even lower if you included these populations, but that would be pretty complicated.

Robbery denotes theft by force. There are non violent thefts here, and if you leave your stuff out in a third world country, where people don’t have much, yes, your stuff will be taken. I have had one thing taken in my time here, which was a case of empty beer bottles that were left out to be recycled. My friend that visited left a ping pong game out on his veranda which was taken. You certainly want to be aware of where your stuff is, and hide it away. I have heard that it is common knowledge here, that if you leave something out, you must not care too much about it, which makes it fair game. Good to know 🙂

Anyplace will feel safe to you, until something happens, of course. But I cringe when people hear a crime report and say, well take that place off the list, too dangerous! It is healthy to be suspicious and overly cautious when in a new place (in my opinion 🙂 ) Look at your own home town statistics–because you know the town, it feels safe. But burglaries, rapes, etc are happening there the same as here. Most people DO tend to be more cautious on vacations, and Belize has areas in every city where there are tourists walking around everywhere, lights, and a feeling of safety. I wouldn’t walk the streets at night, alone, ANYWHERE, or flash a bunch of cash anywhere, or leave my cell phone out in plain view when I am not near, and I use those same rules here. THE VAST MAJORITY of travelers anywhere–have a good experience and are not victims of crime. The tiny percentage that do have a problem, are publicized to the max, and unfortunate people use this as an excuse to not have any adventures in their life outside of Myrtle Beach or Disney World (and crime happens there too!!!). This is not recommended 🙂

Are the bugs bad? Critters in general?

I HATE bugs. I hate getting bit, and if I feel something brush against me I freak out. With that said, the bugs down here are not THAT bad. The ants are a problem. You will see ants every day down here, and worse if you don’t treat for them, or you leave any food out.

The mosquitos have not been a problem except for very recently, because it is called “mauger season” where the wind really dies down. Because of the constant awesome breeze off the Caribbean, it keeps the bugs at bay, except for a small portion of the year. Wear some DEET an move on 🙂

Sand fleas-I have had three times since February where I felt sufficiently attacked by sand fleas to be really sad about it. All three times, I was out after a rain, at dusk, and I was sitting on the ground or in the sand. It left about 50-100 bites on my legs that made me miserable for about 2 days and then they went away. They itch like hell. If you have no self control, like me, you will turn them into scabs and be sorry you did it. I got smart and use anti itch cream now, and I am careful to put baby oil on my legs at high risk times.

Other bugs–I see bees and other large flying insects but they seem to not care that much about me. I have heard of people getting bit by Bot or Botless flies, which are pretty gross. They can swell up and be itchy. There are a lot of geckos around, which just don’t bother me, they don’t want anything to do with people and they eat insects.

I will admit–since February, we have had one tarantula, one scorpion, and one small snake on the property (outside!!) There is also something large living in the tree above Dave’s truck that poops like a small child all over it. Occasionally Dave steps in a fire ant hill by his truck. We have dealt with termites here, they live everywhere, but this is not a concern of a guest, you will never see one, hear one, and they have no interest in eating humans. I have also seen a total of 5 cockroaches in our places. We treat for them so we only find them when they are dead. As gross as they are, they don’t want to eat us. They are just freakish with a bad reputation.

To summarize, as a guest, unless you seek out a wildlife adventure, you are likely to see some regular old boring ants and maybe a gecko. If you see anything beyond that, remember that this will be a good story you can tell later, and nothing will hurt or kill you. Case closed.

How are the wifi and power outages?

I have read countless complaints about both. I honestly am either lucky or only reading the complainers or outliers. The internet has been as good as at home, and the power has gone out a total of three times, for a total of about 15 minutes. *yawn*

How bad in rainy season/chance of hurricanes?

Rainy season I have heard can be pretty depressing. However, we are in rainy season now, and what I have experienced is a Cleveland summer. Frequent rain and clouds, but better than Cleveland, it rains hard and quick and then is over, not a dull, grey, drizzle all day. I’ll take rainy season any time over the weather in the Northern US. There is plenty of sunshine, very little temperature fluctuation, and the sun dries the rain up quickly. It doesn’t stop us from doing anything. As for hurricanes, it looks like Belize by history is susceptible to a big one about every 30 years. We are due in about 15 years. Go ahead and make those travel plans.

So what IS bad??

OK what IS bad is the stupid sea grass. It is flat out a pain in the butt. It has been one of the things I would say is worse than I expected. We are lucky (sarcasm.) enough to be experiencing Sargassum right now, which won’t leave, and it is flat out gross. (See my earlier post.) It is STILL HERE. It smells, it is dirty, it is ruining the shore, and you can’t even get in the water. You can’t even rake it because it will come right back. We hear it will be another week or two at least, and I heard a rumor that Placencia is bringing in a sea grass expert. I think where we are, in a slight bay, is getting it the worst on the whole peninsula (yay me!).

Another thing that was bad in early summer were the jellyfish. Because we are so close to the reef, when the tide is right, those little jerks float right over and invisibly enter your personal space. They can turn a pleasant swim into a blood curdling race for the shore. I hate them, Dave and I have both been stung. Dave mutiple times :(. Good news is, this isn’t Australia with box jellyfish that kill you, but it does suck to be stung.

The heat–it is freaking awesome here between 4pm-10am. Awesome. Breezy, comfortable, pleasant, no air conditioning needed. However, on most days, between 10am-4pm, you feel as if your IQ has dropped 40 points and your energy level is that of an 80 year old. It is especially fun when you can’t get in a water because of the Sargassum, or the jellyfish chase you out. You just have to figure it out and we have lived with it; if you have a sense of humor and can plan your day accordingly, it is part of the fun.

I am sure someone living here will have feedback or thoughts and I would love to hear what I left out 🙂

This is more of a wrap up of some fun events over the last week, especially for people looking at a typical week in the life of an expat down here! Here’s some PlaceWe met a few friends last night at the new Tiger restaurant–it is the newest restaurant on the peninsula. It is just north of Seine Bight on the beachside. It is truly amazing from the moment you walk in. The atmosphere is extraordinary-check out these pictures…I was thinking about adjusting the colors, but that red hue is what it really feels like!

Everything is open air–it feels like you are really somewhere exotic 🙂 I highly recommend the homemade mojitos–the Tiger one has a spicy kick and the ginger one was excellent, they cut the mint and peppers off of plants outside for each drink!

As a funny side note, when our friends arrived we noticed that 4 of the guys had on what must be the Placencia uniform–blue button down shirts? 🙂

Here is a picture of our group; for dinner, they offer a choice of three appetizers and then fish, chicken, or pork for your meal. The rice is served family style and is awesome–comes with a sauce to put over top, a side of exotic vegetables, and your main dish. Everything was great!

Earlier this week, there was a celebration in the village for the battle of St. George’s Caye, which is a really fascinating story:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_St._George’s_Caye

Our friend Faizal was kind enough to send me these pictures of the parade:

 

And finally, the peninsula has a great presence in the Placencia Humane Society–like the Rotary club, this only exists because dedicated and passionate people give their time and money to help the animals down here, that suffer greatly without their help–they catch and spay/neuter stray cats, perform miraculous changes to the beach dogs, provide foster and adoptions, and so much more. I was lucky enough to be able to spend the day with them yesterday, at the monthly clinic. Here were some of my favorite stories from yesterday:

This sweet boy was adopted by a lovely family. You can’t see it very well but he is a bag of bones, a pit bull, who was left starving by somebody. He is unbelievably sweet and was giving everyone kisses despite his obvious malnutrition….I bet he will look much different after a few weeks in his new family’s care 🙂

Here is Wiley and Ralph….Ralph was so huge and took over the room in no time 🙂 He was completely unaware of his size and was like a cartoon…

Here is the website for the Humane Society….donations are VERY VERY appreciated!

https://placenciahumanesocietybelize.org/

The next upcoming couple weeks will be more typical expat stories….but we are trying to put together a trip to Honduras shortly, so stay tuned 🙂

A great news week for Belize…last week Belize was ranked as the second fastest growing tourist destination in the Caribbean…https://www.ieyenews.com/wordpress/belize-ranked-second-fastest-growing-caribbean-tourist-destination/

Then this week, CBS News ranked TWO cities in Belize as the best cities in invest in international real estate!!

https://www.cbsnews.com/media/top-10-international-places-to-invest-in-real-estate/?utm_content=bufferc919c&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer

I had a very eye opening moment when I posted these on facebook, in two large Belize expat groups. The group was less than excited about the articles; fact, most had quite a negative reaction! At first I thought, maybe Belize and other expat spots attract people who tend to see negatives, that is why they leave their home country. Or maybe living outside the US gets to you after a while and makes you get a bit jaded! But, it was neither–it was Cayo that was picked as a new expat hotspot, and the people who move to Cayo to NOT want this on the tourist/expat map, they do not want it to change, and are happy with it as is! The worry is, Belize is on the verge of blowing up into another Cancun.

This means, row after row of high rise resorts, lessoned character of the town, strip malls, chain restaurants, everything Disney-fied–where everything is sparkly clean, new, and also predictable. (ie, for some people, BORING/understimulating/not challenging/etc!) I have always disliked how whether you go to Jamaica, Cancun, Aruba, etc, you tend to stay at your all inclusive, and end up just seeing your beach and pool. You could be anywhere, and are not really experiencing a new culture, taking any sort of risk, or having any real adventure! (I realize this is just fine for some vacations as well, and I would enjoy this at times too!!)

There are barely any buildings over couple stories tall here, everyone hangs out together, it wouldn’t even be a trip to Belize if you didn’t spend time doing all of the activities in the village you are in. Just last night, it was Battle of St George’s Caye Day, and we went to Barefoot Bar to check out the celebration. It was packed, with great energy and a ton of fun. Tourists, expats, and locals all hang out together and everyone is so warm and friendly. You can walk around the village safely and not worry. The crime here is very, very low–of course in ANY country you can find stories of vacations gone wrong, but it is rare here. I can certainly see why Belize is popping up on everyone’s radar, and can personally say, that after building a small resort here, we are already over 50% booked through March-and we aren’t even technically open yet!